Floor mount

ABSTRACT

A floor mount for supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure comprises a foot, a lift spring having a top end and a bottom end and supportable in weight bearing relation at the bottom end by the foot, a top coupler supportable in weight bearing relation by the lift spring at the top end, and a cover supportable in weight bearing relation by the top coupler. A removable securing member temporarily secures together the foot, the lift spring, the top coupler and the cover. A lift adjustment member is engageable in threaded relation in one of the cover and the top coupler and engaged in vertically abutting yet rotatable relation against the other of the cover and the top coupler. The lift adjustment member is rotatable to adjust the elevation of the cover with respect to the top coupler, to thereby permit selection of the elevation of the floor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the assembly and installation of floormounts into floors, and the installation of sprung floors having floormounts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In modern buildings, certain types of floors require an acoustical airgap in between upper and lower concrete slabs for noise attenuation.Additionally, the springs used to create these acoustical air gapsprovide a low natural frequency of the upper “floating” floor slab,thereby allowing the “floating floor” to have superior performance forimpact and vibratory conditions. Such floors can be effectively used inmechanical rooms, under equipment, in gymnasiums, under basketballfloors, under treadmills, exercise rooms, and so on.

The springs used to create the necessary air gap are each retainedwithin a separate housing to form an in situ floor mounting apparatus. Aplurality of these floor mounting apparatuses are arranged in a gridpattern on the lower fixed floor slab to support the upper “floating”floor slab in shock absorbing and noise attenuating relation.

In the prior art, during construction of such floating floors and thelike, the bottom assembly of the housing of each of the floor mountingapparatuses is placed in its position in the grid pattern on the lowerfixed floor slab. Next, a lift spring is placed in vertically orientedrelation on the bottom component, and the top assembly of the housing ofeach of the floor mounting apparatuses is placed onto the lift spring.An adjustment bolt or the like interconnects the bottom assembly and thetop assembly of the housing such that the elevation of the top assemblyof the housing can be adjusted, thereby permitting the elevation of theupper “floating” floor slab to be “fine-tuned”.

It is well known that the construction of such prior art floorinstallations is painfully time consuming because the floor mountingapparatuses must be incrementally adjusted sequentially. In other words,one floor mounting apparatus is adjusted slightly and then the nextfloor mounting apparatus is adjusted slightly, and so on, until all ofthe floor mounting apparatuses have been adjusted several times.Additionally, it is necessary to make the adjustments manually, usinghand tools. It is accepted in the industry that the proper setting of anaverage size of floor can take perhaps two days, when installed by twoworkers, which is unacceptable.

The most relevant known prior art devices and their relevance will nowbe discussed.

The closest known prior art is made by two companies, namely MasonIndustries Inc. of Hauppauge, N.Y., USA and (https://mason-ind.com/fs/)and Kinetics Noise Control, Inc. of Dublin, Ohio, USA and Anaheim,Calif., USA, (https://kineticsnoise.com/arch/contact.aspx). Both ofthese companies produce and sell floor mounting apparatuses that aredesigned and otherwise configured as described above.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,359, issued Feb. 21, 1989, to Miyake et al, isentitled Method Of Applying Floor Vibration-Damping Work AndVibration-Damping Floor Device. This Miyake et al patent discloses anearly method of applying a floor vibration-damping device. The floorvibration-damping device comprises a movable support portion forsupporting respective support points of a floor structure and a springdamper portion disposed between the floor structure and a fixed floor.The movable support portion comprises a lower ball receiving steel platedisposed on the fixed portion, a bearing ball disposed on the lowersteel plate and an upper ball receiving steel plate secured to the floorstructure and placed on the bearing ball. The spring damper portioncomprises a damper main body of a shallow and flat vessel shape mountedon and secured to the fixed floor. A viscous fluid is contained by apredetermined amount in the damper main body. A movable member isattached to the floor structure, immersed in the viscous fluid, ensuringa predetermined gap between a lower surface of the movable member and abottom of the damper main body. A coil spring is secured to the fixedfloor at one end thereof, a rope-like member not transmitting acompressive force and being connected to the other end of the coilspring at one end thereof and connected to the movable member at theother end thereof. A reaction force receiving roller is attached to therope-like member and abutted against an inner surface of the damper mainbody.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,615, issued May 26, 1992, to Miyake et al, isentitled Floor Vibration-Damping Apparatus. This Miyake et al patentdiscloses a slightly later floor vibration-damping apparatus that dampsa horizontal vibration of a floor based on an earthquake or the like.This apparatus comprises a movable supporting portion for supporting afloor with being free to move horizontally, and a damper working portionmade by a combination of a viscous damper fixed to a restricted positionof the floor and a plurality of spring mechanisms positioned radiatelywith respect to the restricted position. Each spring mechanism comprisesa tension spring and a pre-tensioning device distinct from the buildingfor pre-tensioning the spring.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,386, issued Nov. 30, 1993, to Mühlethaler, isentitled Method And Device For Laying Access Floors, And Access-FloorSupport. The purpose of the disclosed method and device is to simplifyand speed up the laying of access floors formed of floor panels (6) laidon supports (5) set out in a regular pattern, an ancillary plane (4)extending over a field (3) of grid points (2) is levelled up at adistance from the subfloor or structural slab (1). A device (10) with aframe (11) and outriggers (12) is used to define the ancillary plane, tohold temporarily a multiplicity of supports (5) and introduce themsimultaneously. The supports are then simultaneously adjusted in heightand fixed on the grid points (2) in accordance with the respectivedistance between the ancillary plane and the (uneven) subfloor (1). Thesupports are then released from the device (10), the device is removed,and the panels (6) are laid on the accurately positioned head pieces ofthe supports. Various embodiments of the method, the device (10), andparticularly suitable prefabricated supports (5) are described. In thelatter, the head piece and base are loosely guided relative to eachother and can be moved axially relative to each other without the needof rotating either the head piece or the base. After height adjustmentof the supports, means of retention and fixation are used to fix therelative position of the parts to each other.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,061,692B1, issued Nov. 22, 2011, to Eriksen et al, isentitled Floor Isolation System. This patent discloses a floor isolationsystem that includes a platform and a multidirectional spring unit. Theplatform has rolling supports that isolate the platform from lateralmovements of a substrate. The platform further has sliding supports that(1) prevent the platform from moving freely during daily service and (2)dampen lateral movements of the platform caused by the lateral movementsof the substrate. The multidirectional spring unit links the substrateand the platform to provide a spring force in any horizontal directionthat limits the lateral displacements of the platform. Themultidirectional spring unit includes a spring secured to the substrate,a fairlead, and a cable having one end secured to the spring and anotherend passing through the fairlead and secured to the platform.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a floor mount forsupporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein the floormount is pre-assembled.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein the floormount is in a pre-compressed configuration.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein due touse of the floor mount, it is not time consuming to install the floor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein the floormounting apparatuses do not need to be incrementally adjustedsequentially.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein it is notnecessary to make the adjustments manually, using hand tools.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein theproper setting of an average size of floor takes significantly less thantwo days.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein theinstallation of the floor with one worker is within a very acceptableamount of time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor mountfor supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, wherein theinstallation of the floor with one worker is significantly less than inthe prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel floor mount for supporting a floating floor above asub-structure. The floor mount comprises a foot; a lift spring having atop end and a bottom end and supportable in weight bearing relation atthe bottom end by the foot; a top coupler supportable in weight bearingrelation by the lift spring at the top end; a cover supportable inweight bearing relation by the top coupler; a removable securing memberfor temporarily securing together the foot, the lift spring, the topcoupler and the cover in an in-use arrangement; and a lift adjustmentmember engageable in threaded relation in one of the cover and the topcoupler and engaged in vertically abutting yet rotatable relationagainst the other of the cover and the top coupler. The lift adjustmentmember is rotatable about its operational axis to adjust the elevationof the cover with respect to the top coupler, to thereby permitselection of the elevation of the floor.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel floating floor above a sub-structure. The floatingfloor comprises a cured concrete slab, and a plurality of floor mountsin each concrete slab; wherein each floor mount comprises a foot; a liftspring having a top end and a bottom end and supportable in weightbearing relation at the bottom end by the foot; a top couplersupportable in weight bearing relation by the lift spring at the topend; a cover supportable in weight bearing relation by the top coupler;a removable securing member for temporarily securing together the foot,the lift spring, the top coupler and the cover in an in-use arrangement;a lift adjustment member engageable in threaded relation in one of thecover and the top coupler and engaged in vertically abutting yetrotatable relation against the other of the cover and the top coupler.The lift adjustment member is rotatable about its operational axis toadjust the elevation of the cover with respect to the top coupler, tothereby permit selection of the elevation of the floor.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel floor mount for supporting a floating floor above asub-structure. The floor mount comprises a foot, a lift spring, a topcoupler, and a cover disposed in seriatim one with the next; a removablesecuring member for temporarily securing together the foot, the liftspring, the top coupler and the cover in an in-use arrangement; and alift adjustment member for adjusting the elevation of the cover withrespect to the top coupler, to thereby permit selection of the elevationof the floor.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel floating floor above a sub-structure. The floatingfloor comprises a cured concrete slab, and a plurality of floor mountsin each concrete slab; wherein each floor mount comprises a foot, a liftspring, a top coupler, a cover, and a removable securing member fortemporarily securing together the foot, the lift spring, the top couplerand the cover in an in-use arrangement. The cover is captured by theconcrete. A lift adjustment member is for adjusting the elevation of thecover with respect to the top coupler, to thereby permit selection ofthe elevation of the floor.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel method of assembling a floor mount. The method maycomprise the steps of mounting a lift spring at a bottom end thereofonto a foot; mounting a top coupler onto the lift spring at a top endthereof; mounting a cover onto the top coupler; and temporarily securingtogether the foot, the lift spring, the top coupler and the cover in anin-use arrangement using a removable securing member.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel method of assembling a floating floor for installationabove a sub-structure. The method may comprise the steps of temporarilysecuring together a plurality of floor mounts in an in-use arrangementusing a removable securing member, wherein each floor mount comprising afoot, a lift spring, a top coupler and a cover; placing the plurality offloor mounts on a receiving surface surrounded by a frame; pouringconcrete within the frame around the plurality of floor mounts such thatthe cover is captured by the concrete; and permitting the concrete toset.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a novel method of installing a floating floor above asub-structure. The method comprising the steps of temporarily securingtogether a plurality of floor mounts in an in-use arrangement using aremovable securing member, wherein each floor mount comprising a foot, alift spring, a top coupler and a cover; placing the plurality of floormounts on a receiving surface surrounded by a frame; pouring concretewithin the frame around the plurality of floor mounts such that thecover is captured by the concrete; permitting the concrete to set; andremoving the removable securing member.

Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention,as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements ofthe structure, and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description and the appended claims with reference tothe accompanying drawings, the latter of which is briefly describedherein below.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND LETTERS

-   100 floor mount-   110 floating floor-   112 sub-structure-   114 concrete-   116 frame-   118 re-inforcing bars-   120 foot-   121 small threaded fastener-   122 bottom plate-   123 central aperture-   130 central protector-   132 outwardly projecting base flange portion-   134 upwardly projecting anchoring portion-   136 throughpassage-   136 t top end-   136 b bottom end-   140 lift spring-   140 t top end-   140 b bottom end-   150 top coupler-   152 flat disk-   153 top surface-   154 central aperture-   156 alignment guide-   160 cover-   162 top plate-   163 top surface-   164 central aperture-   165 welding-   166 vertical spacer-   168 annular base flange-   169 top surface-   170 removable securing member-   180 lift adjustment member-   182 threaded shaft portion-   184 head-   190 a first re-bar support portion-   190 b second re-bar support portion-   190 c third re-bar support portions-   190 d fourth re-bar support portions-   192 a first upwardly facing concave surface-   192 b second upwardly facing concave surface-   192 c third upwardly facing concave surface-   192 d fourth upwardly facing concave surface-   200 floor mount-   262 top plate

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the floormount according to the present invention, as to its structure,organization, use and method of operation, together with furtherobjectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from thefollowing drawings in which a presently known embodiment of theinvention will now be illustrated by way of example. It is expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration and description only, and are not intended as a definitionof the limits of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the first illustratedembodiment of a floor mount according to the present invention, beforefully assembled;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the first illustrated embodiment ofthe floor mount of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first illustrated embodiment of thefloor mount of FIG. 1, in an initial assembled configuration with theremovable securing member in place but before the lift spring has beencompressed;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the first illustrated embodiment ofthe floor mount of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the first illustrated embodiment of thefloor mount of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional perspective view of the first illustratedembodiment of the floor mount of FIG. 3, taken along section line 6-6 ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side elevational view of the first illustratedembodiment of the floor mount of FIG. 3, taken along section line 7-7 ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a sectional top plan view of the first illustrated embodimentof the floor mount of FIG. 3, taken along section line 8-8 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the first illustrated embodiment of thefloor mount of FIG. 1, in a pre-compressed configuration with theremovable securing member having been rotated to compress the liftspring;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the first illustrated embodimentof the floor mount of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional perspective view of the first illustratedembodiment of the floor mount of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a sectional side elevational view of the first illustratedembodiment of the floor mount of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a sectional side elevational view similar to FIG. 7, but withthe removable securing member removed and with the lift spring somewhatcompressed due to the weight of the supported floor;

FIG. 14 is a sectional side elevational view similar to FIG. 13, butwith the lift adjustment bolt having been put in place and about to berotated to contact the top coupler;

FIG. 15 is a sectional side elevational view similar to FIG. 14, butwith the lift adjustment bolt having been rotated to contact the topcoupler, thereby lifting the floor;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a second illustrated embodiment of afloor mount according to the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the second illustrated embodiment of FIG.16;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a floor being constructed using floormounts according to the present invention, before the concrete ispoured;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a floor being constructed using floormounts according to the present invention, with about half the concretepoured;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a finished floor constructed usingfloor mounts according to the present invention, prior to installationin a building;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged top plan view of a floor mount according to thepresent invention embedded within a finished floor;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of a removable securing boltbeing removed from a floor mount according to the present invention inorder to allow the floor mount to lift the floor somewhat;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged perspective view of a lift adjustment bolt aboutto be installed into a floor mount according to the present invention inorder to allow the floor mount to lift the floor to a desired elevation;

FIG. 24 is a very enlarged perspective view of a floor mount accordingto the present invention with a slit therein for illustrative purposes,with the top coupler within the floor mount partially visible; and,

FIG. 25 is a very enlarged perspective view similar to FIG. 24, but withthe lift adjustment bolt having been rotated in order to cause the coverof the floor mount to lift the floor to a desired elevation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 25 of the drawings, it will be noted thatFIGS. 1 through 15 show a first illustrated embodiment of the floormount according to the present invention, FIG. 16 shows a secondillustrated embodiment of the floor mount according to the presentinvention, FIG. 17 shows a third illustrated embodiment of the floormount according to the present invention, and FIGS. 18 through 25 showthe installation of a floor using the floor mounts according to thepresent invention.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 1 through 15 FIGS. 18 through 25,which show a first illustrated embodiment of the floor mount accordingto the present invention, as indicated by the general reference numeral100. As can be best seen in FIGS. 18 through 25, the floor mountaccording to the present invention is installing a sprung floor on asub-structure such as a sub-floor.

In brief, the floor mount 100 comprises a foot 120, a lift spring 140, atop coupler 150, a cover 160, a removable securing member 170 and a liftadjustment member 180.

The floor mount 100 according to the present invention will now bedescribed more specifically with reference to the Figures.

In the first illustrated embodiment according to the present invention,which is a floor mount 100 for supporting a floating floor 110 above asub-structure 112, the floor mount 100 may comprise the foot 120 thatmay be substantially circular and may comprise a bottom plate 122, acentral protector 130 and an anchoring portion 138. The bottom plate 122may be substantially flat and may include a central aperture 123. Thefoot 120 may extend laterally outwardly past the central protector 130,or in other words the bottom plate 122 has a larger radius than thecentral protector 130.

The central protector 130 may have an outwardly projecting base flangeportion 132 and an upwardly projecting cylindrical portion 133. Anupwardly projecting anchoring portion 134 may define a throughpassage136 extending between a top end 136 t and a bottom end 136 b. Thethroughpassage 136 may be open at the top end 136 t. The bottom end 140b of the lift spring 140 may be disposed in weight bearing relation onthe outwardly projecting base flange portion 132 of the upwardly opencentral protector 130. The anchoring portion 134 may be secured innon-lifting relation to the bottom plate 122 around the central aperture123 by a small threaded fastener 121. The anchoring portion 134 may befor receiving the removable securing member 170 in threaded relationtherein. The anchoring portion 138 may comprise a vertically extendingcylinder 138 having an internal female thread.

The floor mount 100 may comprise a removable securing member 170 fortemporarily securing together the foot 120, the lift spring 140, the topcoupler 150 and the cover 160 in an in-use arrangement, as can be seenin FIGS. 1, 2 and 6. The removable securing member 170 may comprise afirst threaded fastener 170 that may comprise a bolt 170.

The lift spring 140 may have a top end 140 t and a bottom end 140 b andmay be supportable in weight bearing relation at the bottom end 140 b bythe foot 120. The lift spring 140 may comprise a cylindrical coil, orany other suitable shape or configuration.

The top coupler 150 may be supportable in weight bearing relation by thelift spring 140 at the top end 140 t of the lift spring 140 and may bedisposed in force transfer contact with the top end 140 t of the liftspring 140. The top coupler 150 may comprise a flat disk 152 and maycomprise a central aperture 154 in the flat disk 152. The flat disk 152may be substantially circular or any other suitable shape.

The top coupler 150 may further comprise an alignment guide 156 that mayextend downwardly from the top coupler 150. The alignment guide 156 maycomprise a cylindrical wall 166 that may be disposed in surroundingrelation around the central aperture 154 and may depend from the bottomsurface of the top coupler 150. The alignment guide 156 may be shapedand dimensioned to fit around the anchoring portion 138 and within thelift spring 140.

The cover 160 may be supportable in weight bearing relation by the topcoupler 150. The cover 160 may comprise a top plate 162 and a verticalspacer 166 extending downwardly from the top plate 162. The top plate162 and the vertical spacer 166 may be secured together by welding 165at the outer periphery of the top plate 162.

A central aperture 164 may be located in the top plate 162 and thecentral aperture may have a female thread that may receive the liftadjustment member 180 in threaded relation therein.

The vertical spacer 166 may comprise a cylindrical wall having an outerdiameter “OD” and an inner diameter “ID”. The top plate 162 and thecylindrical wall together protect the internal components of the floormount 100.

The cover 160 may further comprise an annular base flange 168 extendinglaterally outwardly from the bottom of the vertical spacer 166. Theannular base flange 168 may be circular and may have an outer diameter“OD” just slightly less than the inner diameter “ID” of the cylindricalwall 166 of the cover 160.

The lift adjustment member 180 may be engageable in threaded relation inone of the cover 160 and the top coupler 150 and engaged in verticallyabutting yet rotatable relation against the other of the cover 160 andthe top coupler 150. As illustrated, the lift adjustment member 180 maycomprises a second threaded fastener 180 that may comprise a bolt 180.The lift adjustment member 180 may be engageable in threaded relation inthe cover 160, specifically in the threaded central aperture 164 of thetop plate 162, and may be engageable in vertically abutting yetrotatable relation against the top surface 153 of the flat disk 152 ofthe top coupler 150. The lift adjustment member 180 is rotatable aboutits operational axis, specifically its longitudinal axis “L”, to adjustthe elevation of the cover 160 with respect to the top coupler 150, tothereby permit selection of the elevation of the floating floor 110.

It is further contemplated that in another embodiment of the presentinvention, the lift adjustment member 180 could be threadably engaged inthe top coupler 150 and engaged in abutting relation with the top plate162 of the cover 160.

The floor mount 100 may further comprise four re-bar support portions190 spaced radically equally around the cover 160. The four re-barsupport portions 190 may be secured by welding to the bottom portion ofthe cylindrical wall 166 and to the top surface 169 of the annular baseflange 168.

The four re-bar support portions 190 a,190 b,190 c,190 d may each havean upwardly facing concave surface 192 a,192 b,192 c,192 d,respectively, for receiving a reinforcing bar 194 therein, and may eachcomprise a re-bar support rib. The upwardly facing concave surface 192a,192 b on the first opposed pair of the four re-bar support portions190 a,190 b may be at a first vertical distance “D1” above the annularbase flange 168 and the upwardly facing concave surface 192 c,192 d onthe second opposed pair of the four re-bar support portions 190 c,190 dmay be at a second vertical distance “D2” above the annular base flange168.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show the firstillustrated embodiment of a floor mount 100 according to the presentinvention, before fully assembled, or in other words, about to beassembled. The cover 160 of the floor mount 100 is being placed over thefoot 120, the lift spring 140, and the top coupler 150. The removablesecuring member 170 is about to be put in place.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 4 through 8, which show the firstillustrated embodiment of a floor mount 100 according to the presentinvention, being initially assembled. The removable securing member 170extends through the central aperture 164 in the top plate 162 of thehousing 160 and through the central aperture 154 in the top coupler 150and is about to be threadably engaged into the upwardly projectinganchoring portion 134.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 9 through 12, which show the firstillustrated embodiment of a floor mount 100 according to the presentinvention, but now in a pre-compressed configuration whereat the liftspring is compressed via rotation of the removable securing member 170engaged in the internally threaded upwardly projecting anchoring portion134.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 9 through 12, which show the firstillustrated embodiment of a floor mount 100 according to the presentinvention, but now in a pre-compressed configuration whereat the liftspring is compressed via rotation of the removable securing member 170engaged in the internally threaded upwardly projecting anchoring portion134.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 13 through 15, which show the firstillustrated embodiment of a floor mount 100 according to the presentinvention, but with the concrete 114 having been poured and cured tothereby form the floating floor 110. FIG. 13 shows the removablesecuring member 170 having been removed and shows the lift spring 140somewhat compressed due to the weight of the supported floating floor110. FIG. 14 shows the lift adjustment bolt 180 having been put in placeand about to be rotated to contact the top coupler 150. FIG. 15 showsthe lift adjustment bolt 180 having been rotated about its operationalaxis “L” until it contacts the top coupler, and then is rotated furtherto thereby lifting the floating floor 110. The lift adjustment bolt 180is chosen to have a threaded shaft portion 182 of a length suitable tolift the supported floating floor 110 by a predetermined amount when thehead 184 of the lift adjustment bolt 180 contacts the top surface 163 ofthe top plate 162.

In another aspect, the present invention comprises a floating floor 110above a sub-structure 112. The floating floor 110 comprises a curedconcrete slab 114, and a plurality of floor mounts 100 in each concreteslab 114; wherein each floor mount 100 comprises a foot 120; a liftspring 140 having a top end 141 and a bottom end 142 and supportable inweight bearing relation at the bottom end 142 by the foot 120; a topcoupler 150 supportable in weight bearing relation by the lift spring140 at the top end 141; a cover 160 supportable in weight bearingrelation by the top coupler 150; a removable securing member 170 fortemporarily securing together the foot 120, the lift spring 140, the topcoupler 150 and the cover 160 in an in-use arrangement; a liftadjustment member engageable in threaded relation in one of the cover160 and the top coupler 150 and engaged in vertically abutting yetrotatable relation against the other of the cover 160 and the topcoupler 150. The lift adjustment member is rotatable about itsoperational axis “L” to adjust the elevation of the cover 160 withrespect to the top coupler 150, to thereby permit selection of theelevation of the floor 110.

In another aspect, the present invention comprises a floor mount 100 forsupporting a floating floor 110 above a sub-structure 112. The floormount 100 comprises a foot 120, a lift spring 140, a top coupler 150,and a cover 160 disposed in seriatim one with the next; a removablesecuring member 170 for temporarily securing together the foot 120, thelift spring 140, the top coupler 150 and the cover 160 in an in-usearrangement; and a lift adjustment member for adjusting the elevation ofthe cover 160 with respect to the top coupler 150, to thereby permitselection of the elevation of the floor 110.

In another aspect, the present invention comprises a floating floor 110above a sub-structure 112. The floating floor 110 comprises a curedconcrete slab 114, and a plurality of floor mounts 100 in each concreteslab 114; wherein each floor mount 100 comprises a foot 120, a liftspring 140, a top coupler 150, a cover 160, and a removable securingmember 170 for temporarily securing together the foot 120, the liftspring 140, the top coupler 150 and the cover 160 in an in-usearrangement. The cover 160 is captured by the cured concrete. A liftadjustment member is for adjusting the elevation of the cover 160 withrespect to the top coupler 150, to thereby permit selection of theelevation of the floor.

In another aspect, the present invention comprises a method ofassembling a floor mount 100. The method may comprise the steps ofmounting a lift spring 140 at a bottom end 142 thereof onto a foot 120;mounting a top coupler 150 onto the lift spring 140 at a top end 141thereof; mounting a cover 160 onto the top coupler 150; and temporarilysecuring together the foot 120, the lift spring 140, the top coupler 150and the cover 160 in an in-use arrangement using a removable securingmember 170. The method further comprises the step of temporarilycompressing the lift springs 140 such that each of the floor mounts 100is in a pre-compressed configuration.

In another aspect, the present invention comprises a method ofassembling a floating floor 110 for installation above a sub-structure112. The method may comprise the steps of temporarily securing togethera plurality of floor mounts 100 in an in-use arrangement using aremovable securing member 170, wherein each floor mount 100 comprising afoot 120, a lift spring 140, a top coupler 150 and a cover 160; placingthe plurality of floor mounts 100 on a receiving surface surrounded by aframe 116; pouring concrete 114 within the frame 116 around theplurality of floor mounts 100 such that the cover 160 is captured by theconcrete 114; and permitting the concrete 114 to set. The method furthercomprises the step of temporarily compressing the lift springs 140 suchthat each of the floor mounts 100 is in a pre-compressed configuration.

In another aspect, the present invention comprises a method ofinstalling a floating floor 110 above a sub-structure 112. The methodcomprising the steps of temporarily securing together a plurality offloor mounts 100 in an in-use arrangement using a removable securingmember 170, wherein each floor mount 100 comprising a foot 120, a liftspring 140, a top coupler 150 and a cover 160; placing the plurality offloor mounts 100 on a receiving surface surrounded by a frame 116;pouring concrete within the frame 116 around the plurality of floormounts 100 such that the cover 160 is captured by the concrete 114;permitting the concrete 114 to set; and removing the removable securingmember 170. The method further comprises the step of temporarilycompressing the lift springs 140 such that each of the floor mounts 100is in a pre-compressed configuration.

The above-described methods may further comprise the step ofpre-calculating the length of the lift spring 140 from the top end 141to the bottom end 142 and pre-calculating the spring constant of thelift spring 140. The method may further comprise the step of releasingthe floor mount 100 from its pre-compressed configuration.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 18 through 25, which show the firstillustrated embodiment of a floor mount 100 according to the presentinvention during installation of the supported floating floor 110.

FIG. 18 shows the floor 110 being constructed using the floor mount 100according to the present invention, before the concrete is poured. Thevarious re-enforcing bars 116 are supported in transverse directions atoffset elevations by the re-bar support portions 190 a,190 b,190 c,190d. FIG. 19 shows concrete 104 being poured to form the floor 110, withabout half the concrete poured. FIG. 20 shows a finished floor 110, withthe concrete 104 cured, constructed using the floor mounts 100, prior toinstallation in a building. FIG. 21 shows a floor mount 100 embeddedwithin the finished floor 110. FIG. 22 shows one of the removablesecuring bolts 170 being removed from floor mount 100 in order to allowthe floor mount 100 to lift the floating floor 110 a few centimeters.FIG. 23 shows one lift adjustment bolt 180 about to be installed into afloor mount 100 in the floating floor 110. FIG. 24 shows through a slitin the floor mount 100, the top coupler 150 within the floor mount 100.FIG. 25 shows the lift adjustment bolt 180 having been rotated in orderto cause the cover 160 of the floor mount 100 to lift the floating floor110 to a desired elevation.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 16 and 17, which show a secondillustrated embodiment of the floor mount according to the presentinvention, as indicated by the general reference numeral 200. The secondillustrated embodiment floor mount 200 is similar to the firstillustrated embodiment floor mount 100 except that the top plate 262 andthe vertical spacer 266 may be secured together by threaded fasteners265 threadably engaged in co-operating threaded apertures 268 in aninternal flange 267.

Other variations of the above principles will be apparent to those whoare knowledgeable in the field of the invention, and such variations areconsidered to be within the scope of the present invention. Further,other modifications and alterations may be used in the design andmanufacture of the combination infant mat and carrying bag, of thepresent invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of theaccompanying claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus,while the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof isshown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that there is no intention to limit theinvention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising”, “having”, “including”, and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”, “for example”) provided herein, is intendedmerely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does notpose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwiseclaimed. No language in the specification should be construed asindicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of theinvention.

Illustrated embodiments of this invention are described herein.Variations of those illustrated embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventor intends for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1. A floor mount for supporting a floating floor above a sub-structure,said floor mount comprising: a foot; a lift spring having a top end anda bottom end and supportable in weight bearing relation at said bottomend by said foot; a top coupler supportable in weight bearing relationby said lift spring at said top end; a cover supportable in weightbearing relation by said top coupler; a removable securing member fortemporarily securing together said foot, said lift spring, said topcoupler and said cover in an in-use arrangement; a lift adjustmentmember engageable in threaded relation in one of said cover and said topcoupler and engaged in vertically abutting yet rotatable relationagainst the other of said cover and said top coupler; wherein, said liftadjustment member is rotatable about its operational axis to adjust theelevation of said cover with respect to said top coupler, to therebypermit selection of the elevation of said floor.
 2. The floor mountaccording to claim 1, wherein said foot comprises a bottom plate and acentral protector.
 3. The floor mount according to claim 2, wherein saidcentral protector is upwardly open.
 4. The floor mount according toclaim 3, wherein said bottom end of said lift spring is disposed on saidbottom plate.
 5. The floor mount according to claim 1, wherein saidbottom plate is substantially flat.
 6. The floor mount according toclaim 2, wherein said foot extends laterally outwardly past said centralprotector.
 7. The floor mount according to claim 2, wherein said foot issubstantially circular.
 8. The floor mount according to claim 7, whereinsaid bottom plate has a larger radius than said central protector. 9.The floor mount according to claim 7, wherein said lift spring comprisesa cylindrical coil.
 10. The floor mount according to claim 1, whereinsaid bottom plate includes a central aperture.
 11. The floor mountaccording to claim 10, further comprising an anchoring portion securedin non-lifting relation to said foot for receiving said removablesecuring member in threaded relation therein.
 12. The floor mountaccording to claim 11, wherein said anchoring portion comprises avertically extending cylinder having an internal female thread.
 13. Thefloor mount according to claim 12, wherein said anchoring portion issecured to said bottom plate in surrounding relation around said centralaperture.
 14. The floor mount according to claim 1, wherein saidremovable securing member comprises a first threaded fastener.
 15. Thefloor mount according to claim 14, wherein said first threaded fastenercomprises a bolt.
 16. The floor mount according to claim 1, wherein saidlift adjustment member comprises a second threaded fastener.
 17. Thefloor mount according to claim 16, wherein said second threaded fastenercomprises a bolt.
 18. The floor mount according to claim 1, wherein saidtop coupler comprises a flat disk.
 19. The floor mount according toclaim 18, further comprising a central aperture in said flat disk. 20.The floor mount according to claim 18, wherein said flat disk issubstantially circular.
 21. The floor mount according to claim 1,wherein said cover comprises a top plate and a vertical spacer extendingdownwardly from said top plate.
 22. The floor mount according to claim21, wherein said vertical spacer comprises a cylindrical wall.
 23. Thefloor mount according to claim 21, further comprising an annular baseflange extending laterally outwardly from the bottom of said verticalspacer.
 24. The floor mount according to claim 21, further comprising acentral aperture in said top plate.
 25. The floor mount according toclaim 1, wherein said floor mount further comprises four re-bar supportportions spaced radically equally around said cover.
 26. The floor mountaccording to claim 25, wherein said four re-bar support portions eachhave an upwardly facing concave surface for receiving a reinforcing bartherein.
 27. The floor mount according to claim 26, wherein said fourre-bar support portions each comprise a re-bar support rib.
 28. Thefloor mount according to claim 27, wherein said four re-bar supportportions each extend vertically between said annular base flange to saidtop plate.
 29. The floor mount according to claim 28, wherein said topplate extends laterally outwardly beyond said vertical spacer and saidfour re-bar support portions each contact said annular base flange andsaid top plate.
 30. The floor mount according to claim 25, wherein onone opposed pair of said four re-bar support portions said re-barsupport portions are at a first vertical distance above said annularbase flange and on the other opposed pair of said four re-bar supportportions said re-bar support portions are at a second vertical distanceabove said annular base flange.
 31. The floor mount according to claim1, wherein said lift adjustment member is engageable in threadedrelation in said cover and engaged in vertically abutting yet rotatablerelation against said top coupler.
 32. A floating floor above asub-structure, said floating floor comprising: a cured concrete slab,and a plurality of floor mounts in each concrete slab; wherein eachfloor mount comprises: a foot; a lift spring having a top end and abottom end and supportable in weight bearing relation at said bottom endby said foot; a top coupler supportable in weight bearing relation bysaid lift spring at said top end; a cover supportable in weight bearingrelation by said top coupler; a removable securing member fortemporarily securing together said foot, said lift spring, said topcoupler and said cover in an in-use arrangement; a lift adjustmentmember engageable in threaded relation in one of said cover and said topcoupler and engaged in vertically abutting yet rotatable relationagainst the other of said cover and said top coupler; wherein, said liftadjustment member is rotatable about its operational axis to adjust theelevation of said cover with respect to said top coupler, to therebypermit selection of the elevation of said floor.
 33. A floor mount forsupporting a floating floor above a sub-structure, said floor mountcomprising: a foot, a lift spring, a top coupler, and a cover disposedin seriatim one with the next; a removable securing member fortemporarily securing together said foot, said lift spring, said topcoupler and said cover in an in-use arrangement; a lift adjustmentmember for adjusting the elevation of said cover with respect to saidtop coupler, to thereby permit selection of the elevation of said floor.34. A floating floor above a sub-structure, said floating floorcomprising: a cured concrete slab, and a plurality of floor mounts ineach concrete slab; wherein each floor mount comprises a foot, a liftspring, a top coupler, a cover, and a removable securing member fortemporarily securing together said foot, said lift spring, said topcoupler and said cover in an in-use arrangement; wherein the cover iscaptured by the concrete; a lift adjustment member for adjusting theelevation of said cover with respect to said top coupler, to therebypermit selection of the elevation of said floor.
 35. A method ofassembling a floor mount, said method comprising the steps of: mountinga lift spring at a bottom end thereof onto a foot; mounting a topcoupler onto said lift spring at a top end thereof; mounting a coveronto said top coupler; and, temporarily securing together said foot,said lift spring, said top coupler and said cover in an in-usearrangement using a removable securing member.
 36. A method ofassembling a floating floor for installation above a sub-structure, saidmethod comprising the steps of: temporarily securing together aplurality of floor mounts in an in-use arrangement using a removablesecuring member, wherein each floor mount comprising a foot, a liftspring, a top coupler and a cover; placing said plurality of floormounts on a receiving surface surrounded by a frame; pouring concretewithin said frame around said plurality of floor mounts such that thecover is captured by the concrete; and, permitting said concrete to set.37. A method of installing a floating floor above a sub-structure, saidmethod comprising the steps of: temporarily securing together aplurality of floor mounts in an in-use arrangement using a removablesecuring member, wherein each floor mount comprising a foot, a liftspring, a top coupler and a cover; placing said plurality of floormounts on a receiving surface surrounded by a frame; pouring concretewithin said frame around said plurality of floor mounts such that thecover is captured by the concrete; permitting said concrete to set; and,removing said removable securing member.